Citizen Dick Quarterly Report, Part B

The overall problem with a list like this is trying to pluck a few gems out of a lot of gems.  2009 has been an excellent year for music so far, and there are stacks of amazing work that inevitably get the shaft.  In our lengthy discussions last night about this year’s albums of merit, I couldn’t help but tense up a bit.  For every ten albums we listen thoroughly to, there are probably another 5 or 10 that either get dumped or pushed to the side in favor of something else.  This is problematic in the sense that we will never be able to listen to everything that’s out there.  The solution and conclusion is quite simple, however, and I calmed down once I realized that what matters is that we have decent taste and we’re confident that these particular albums are stellar.  You are the beneficiaries of our toil.  Ain’t that nice?

Elvis Perkins in Dearland – Elvis Perkins in Dearland

Elvis Perkins in Dearland is far and away one of the richest and most endearing albums I’ve put my ears to this year.  I shied away from this one in the beginning, barraged by hype and non-stop coverage.  I begrudgingly took the album in long after the initial buzz wore off.  Pawning this thing as dark folk would be a huge no-no.  Trombone solos, harmonica, arching synthesizers, and brilliant guitar work create a blanket of delicious balladry.  For most of February, I took a hiatus and listened to this album exclusively, and primarily because there’s a lot to love and even more to digest and let bloom with time. Tracks like “Shampoo,” “How’s Forever Been Baby,” and “Doomsday” exhibit masterful crooning and impeccably arranged musicianship.  These are sing along tracks but also intelligently penned folk/retro anthems.  Genius comes in many forms musically, and I think we’ve gotten an early taste of some of this in 2009.  Lyrically astute and well aware of conventional standards, Perkins’ effort will no doubt have staying power for me.  I’ll be talking about it again in December.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland – Shampoo

Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains

Cymbals Eat Guitars do not sound like a new band.  Not in any way.  Within three seconds of “And the Hazy Sea” I was locked in and ready to call this out as my favorite in 09.  The intense and whiny scream that the track centers around is right up my alley.  I couldn’t help but remember CYHSY and how brutally charged and energetic their debut was a few years ago.  Why There are Mountains is not necessarily close to CYHSY in sound, but the ambitious and masterful debut is, to me, as exciting.  Plucking piano based tracks, distortion driven and straightforward rock songs, and lofty and aching keyboard and horn sections pepper this album with so many genres and styles.  This isn’t an album that you’ll figure out in one listen, so give it time.  The immediate spin will drop catchy hooks into your lap, but to cull all of the necessary brilliance together takes at least three times through.  “Wind Phoenix” drops about six different stylistic modes into one track and this is similar to about six of the nine songs.  What’s important to note is that Why There Are Mountains is a debut, and this is mindblowing.   The band’s versatility and overriding talent is impossible to ignore this year.

Cymbals Eat Guitars – And the Hazy Sea

Benjy Ferree – Come Back to the Five and Dime Bobby Dee, Bobby Dee

When we first put our ears to Benjy Ferree’s sophomore effort, Come Back to the Five and Dime Bobby Dee, Bobby Dee, my colleague Brian and I agreed that the ambition on this concept record was extremely high and it would either shred or fall apart in a live setting.  We’ve heard mixed reviews about the live show, but the album itself is wicked smart, stompingly badass, and full of life.  The record is conceptual, focusing on the short and troubled life of child-star Bobby Driscoll.  Ferree covers a lot of stylistic ground here, spanning 50’s doo-wop to blues to modern rock thump.  His delivery is impeccable in tracks like “Pisstopher Christopher” which pounds eardrums and sends chills down the spine.  “Blown Out (Gold Doubloons, and Pcs of 8),” “Fear,” and “Great Scott” are all markers of Ferree’s songwriting ability.  Way back in January, I mentioned that many people wouldn’t fully grasp the loftiness of this album.  I’m in full opinion that those with advanced ears will not miss the stark intelligence of this effort.  Get it and wrap your brain around it.  Trust me.

Benjy Ferree – Pisstopher Christopher